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Science and Technology for
achieving SDGs in the Arab
region
By
Ghaith H. Fariz
Director,
UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science in the Arab States
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SDG Targets1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Goal 1 End poverty in all its forms
everywhere
Goal 2 End hunger, achieve food security and
improved nutrition and promote sustainable
agriculture
Goal 3 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-
being for all at all ages b, d
Goal 4 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality
education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all
Goal 5 Achieve gender equality and empower
all women and girls b
Goal 6 Ensure availability and sustainable
management of water and sanitation for all
Goal 7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable,
sustainable and modern energy for all
Goal 8 Promote sustained, inclusive and
sustainable economic growth, full and
productive employment and decent work for
all
Goal 9 Build resilient infrastructure, promote
inclusive and sustainable industrialization
and foster innovation
Goal 10 Reduce inequality within and among
countries
Goal 11 Make cities and human settlements
inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Goal 12 Ensure sustainable consumption and
production patterns
Goal 13 Take urgent action to combat climate
change and its impacts
Goal 14 Conserve and sustainably use the
oceans, seas and marine resources for
Goal 15 Protect, restore and promote
sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems,
sustainably manage forests, combat
desertification, and halt and reverse land
Goal 16 Promote peaceful and inclusive
societies for sustainable development,
provide access to justice for all and build
effective, accountable and inclusive
institutions at all levels
Goal 17 Strengthen the means of
implementation and revitalize the global
partnership for sustainable development
Table of Science Relevance in the SDGs 2030 Agenda
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• The SDGs are labeled by many as a “science
and technology agenda”
• Science and technology should be adopted as
an integral part of strategies, programmes,
and projects as well as in allocation of
funds ….
……Else the SDGs might fail as a
major prerequisite/assumption
regarding the role of science and
technology will be missing.
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Informing the formulation of evidence-based targets and indicators to assessing
progress, testing solutions, and identifying emerging risks and opportunities.
Providing critical inputs into our understanding of the inter-linkages and interdependencies between natural and social systems which can support
integrated policy-planning, monitoring and review at different scales.
Science and research provide the knowledge needed to support transformations
towards sustainable development.
Science possesses a strong educational component.
Enhancing the close collaboration between the policy and scientific communities
and other stakeholders.
Science literacy provides the basis for solutions to everyday problems, generally, in
uncontroversial ways. Science education and capacity-building in science need to be
strengthened to make the most of the transformational power of science.
Crucial role of Science and technology……
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�Provides scientific and technological solutions to
pressing livelihood challenges in all spheres of
and sectors (agriculture, industry, environmental
protection…etc)
�Enables the marginalized sectors to actively
engage in socioeconomic advancement.
�Provides scientific basis for addressing social and
economic challenges
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Technology and science might be available, produced,
transferred….…. but what about…..
Technology to empower the poor.
Ability…. Willingness….
Know how…Supporting
environments…
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For technology to play the
anticipated role we need to
establish the knowledge
society/economy.
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� The knowledge society is holistic and comprehensive and involves a quantum leap in
the paradigm of knowledge, culture, politics and sociology. It is associated with a
global culture of human rights, citizenship and governance systems”
� Knowledge economy/society” will generate new opportunities and expand choices
that will even generate more job opportunities and more adequate and rewarding
employment.
� In the Arab region, knowledge society is urgent to bridge the gap between education
and the job market through the formation of adequately prepared human capital, not
only through higher education but also in enhancing and facilitating better skill
acquisition, access to technology, and vocational guidance and training particularly for
the poor and unemployed.
� Other “knowledge” related elements, such as ICT, innovation and enabling
environments, have a direct impact on reducing unemployment and realising
economic inclusion.
� Wide dissemination of new technologies and information can enhance access to
credit and other assets that promote development of income generating activities
targeting the most vulnerable groups, including youth and women particularly in the
rural areas.
Knowledge Economy/Society
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�Knowledge and sciences as entry points to reform and human development: a tool and product of development
�Knowledge is a human right
�Adopting the broader concept of knowledge, which includes humanities, art, literature, in addition to applied sciences
�The tight connection between the status of knowledge and the enabling environments (Political, economic and social environments)
�Openness and Intercommunication; within the inside and with the outside, is a founding pillar
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• Arab region is confronting drastic, sometimes violent, changes on
almost all fronts: social, economic, environmental, demographic and
political.
• Arab Countries urgently needs to:
• sustain the development results that have been achieved so far,
• address the compounded challenges of urgent developmental
needs
• Adapt to evolving social, economic and governance structures.
Knowledge and Science is a key gateway for
the 2030 Agenda and will facilitate the
attainment of the Sustainable Development
Goals and targets in the Arab region
At the bignning of the SDG 2030 era…
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87654321
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Knowledge Economy Index
Na
tio
na
l P
ov
ert
y r
ate
R-Sq 39.8%
R-Sq(adj) 38.3%
Yemen, Rep.
TunisiaSyrian Arab Republic
Sudan
Morocco
Mauritania
Lebanon
Jordan
Egypt, Arab Rep.
54321
50
40
30
20
10
Knowledge Economy Index
Na
tio
na
l P
ov
ert
y r
ate
R-Sq 83.7%
R-Sq(adj) 78.2%
Yemen, Rep.
Tunisia
Syrian Arab Republic
Sudan
Morocco
Mauritania
Lebanon
Jordan
Egypt, Arab Rep.
Knowledge and poverty in the Arab region
“Knowledge and sciences” are empowerment tools for
the impoverished population
Strong Negative Correlation (0.819)
Regressions are based on KEI data of the World Bank 2012; and the latest available national poverty lines of sources of the World Bank ,UNDP, UNSD,
LAS and National Statistical Offices
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Status of Knowledge and Sciences in the Arab Region
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0 2 4 6 8 10
North America
Europe & Central Asia
East Asia & the Pacific
Latin America
World
Arab Region
South Asia
Africa
The Knowledge Economy Index for the World
Regions (2000-2012)
2012 2000
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0 2 4 6 8 10
North America
Europe & Central Asia
East Asia & the Pacific
Latin America
World
Arab Region
South Asia
Africa
Innovation Index (2000-2012)
2012 2000
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• 51.8 million illiterate (15 years and above)….of which 66% are
females ….
• Adults Literacy is 77.5% (15 years and above)….
• Illiterate Arab youth (age 15-24) is 6.9 million, of which 64%
are females ….
• Literacy rate among the youth (age 15-24) 89.7%, (92.8% for
male and 86.4% among females)
• 4.5 million Children are not enrolled to Schools, girls ratio is
57.8%
Structural Challenges before
“Knowledge and Sciences “ in the Arab region
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0.% 50.% 100.%
Jordan
United Arab Emirates
Morocco
Yemen
Total sample
Jordan
United
Arab
Emirates
Morocco YemenTotal
sample
Unready (less than 25% of
total score)5 8.4 16.7 9.9 9.9
In the beginning (25% to
50% of the score)10.3 13.6 10.3 11.6 11.3
In the process (50% to
75% of the score)80 73.2 70.5 75.7 75.1
Ready (75% or more of
total score)4.7 4.8 2.5 2.8 3.7
Levels of Cognitive Readiness of Students Completing 11th Grade (in
Select Cities in Four Arab Countries)
Source: UNDP-AKR 2010/2011
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Despite the Arab region having spent about
5% of GDP and 20% of government
budgets on education over the past 40
years, around 1/4 of the population (15
years & older) is unable to read or write,
and there are still some 52million illiterate
individuals in the Arab region.
Education: A Persisting Challenge…
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Up to this date, the educational systems in the Arab region were not able to create a critical mass of technicians and knowledge workers capable of meeting the demands of the labor
market
Enrollment in higher education=24.1%
compared to world average of of 28.7% and
57.5% in Europe and Central Asia, and 59% in
Japan, and 75.8% in countries of very high HDI
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• Arabic is the fourth among the top ten languages
used on the net.
• Arabic-speaking internet users are the fastest
growing group (5296%) during 2000-2013
• The rates of internet use in most Arab countries are
still less than the prevailing global rates
• Dissatisfactory levels of ICT applications for
development (Education, health, media, culture...
with relative exception of some GCC countries)
ICT and the Arabic E-Content…
…..a promising advancement
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Research and Innovation …. Still lagging
behind…• Weak link between innovation and production/development
• Spending on R&D in the Arab region is among the least worldwide
(Ranging from 0.03 to 0.73% of GDP, most of it depends on
government funding with minimal involvement of the private sector )
• Scientific publishing and patents...modest achievements
• No positive correlation between income and creativity
• Loss of Arab human capital (brain drain) ... the ultimate result of low
incentives and high constraints (45% of Arab students who study
abroad do not return to their home countries)
• Relative advancement in some Arab countries: UAE, Bahrain, Oman,
KSA, Kuwait in addition to Jordan, Tunisia and Lebanon
Total number of registered patents, in 18 Arab
countries since 1963 until 2013, is 1821 ....which is
less than the sum of one country like Malaysia
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Nevertheless …..
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The Historic
Opportunity for
Establishing the
knowledge
society in the
Arab region
Human
wealth-
Youth
Global
Knowledge
and Science
Revolution
Financial
Wealth
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Education
Knowledge
and Science
Governance /
enabling
environments
Science,
Technology
and
Innovation
ICT
SDGs
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Future developmental efforts (policies, programmes,
projects…) at all regional and country levels need to focus on
…
• incorporating areas of knowledge and science advancement in any sustainable human development endeavour
• giving further consideration to development from the knowledge society/economy perspective.
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And I say that life is indeed darkness save
when there is urge, and all urge is blind save
when there is knowledge, and all knowledge is
vain save when there is work”
Gibran Khalil Gibran